Movies
“Infinity Pool” Is A Better Think Piece Than Movie
For those who are new to Stanko’s Stance, welcome. Appreciate the YAK fans and support. I am a psycho. I write in a stream of consciousness sort of way, so […]
For those who are new to Stanko’s Stance, welcome. Appreciate the YAK fans and support. I am a psycho. I write in a stream of consciousness sort of way, so apologies for the typos. Hope you all enjoy.
“James and Em Foster are enjoying an all-inclusive beach vacation in the fictional island of La Tolqa, when a fatal accident exposes the resort’s perverse subculture of hedonistic tourism, reckless violence and surreal horrors.”
Director: Brandon Cronenberg
Writer: Brandon Cronenberg
Staring: Alexander Skarsgård, Mia Goth, Cleopatra Coleman
Release Date: January 17, 2023
IMDB
Infinity Pool (2023) is a fucking strange movie. If you don’t know the Cronenberg family and their history of filmmaking style, then Infinity Pool is surely a brain melter. Taking on the concepts of social class and self-worth, this particular body horror thriller uses the talents Alexander Skarsgård and Mia Goth to illuminate a wholly original story.
James (Alexander Skarsgård) is a struggling writer traveling on an exotic vacation with his wife Em (Cleopatra Coleman). Their relationship is rocky, and their pebble-sized problems become mountainous when the mysterious and sensious Gabi (Mia Goth) makes friends with James.
Gabi and her partner invite James and Em on a venture outside of the resort, which is explicitly against the rules. All seems awkwardly fine while the couples get drunk and lay on the beachy rocks, but happiness is never meant to last. James and Em come to a horrid realization that this paradise is actually a hellscape.
As Infinity Pool empties out its dark secrets, James finds himself sucked into a funnel of self appeasement and self mutilation. Em tries to rope her husband back to normalcy, but the attention hungry James can’t resist the allure of Gabi and the island’s secret temptations.
Right from the get-go, Cronenberg immediately sets the tone for uneasiness. Infinity Pool opens with pure blackness, and not allowing the audience to settle. There is a constant ripple of discomfort for the first 20 minutes, but things really get creepy when Gabi and James interact outside the resort. There is a very explicit male gratification scene, and that’s just the start. James has the opposite of post-nut clarity, and while in a daze of discombobulated amazement, he accidently commits an act that sprints the entire story forward.
This is now going to be spoiler heavy going forward, so avoid it if you want to take in Infinity Pool with virgin expectations.
The inflection point of this self-reflection drug trip is when James and Em learn about the criminal justice proceedings in this strange land. Per custom, the harmed family gets to murder those who commit a heinous crime, but the police allow for wealthy folk to take part in a clone-like rebirthing process. The crime committers must sit and watch their clone selves be mutilated by the person or family afflicted.
To get granular with it. James kills a farmer with his car when driving back from his out-of-bounds adventure with Gabi and company. He and Em are brought into this remarkably strange process and are horrified by its end product. Well, half are horrified. James is coerced (without much restraint) by Gabi to join a group of wealthy individuals who are abusing the system of criminal action. He is posed the existential question as to whether or not he knows for sure he is himself, or if he is the clone. And that is just the first of the philosophical bombs dropped on James.
Infinity Pool asks a question: What hurts more, being stabbed in the gut countless times or realizing that your identity and idea of self-worth are warped beyond repair. How much of yourself are you willing to give away in order to secure immunity within depravity?
Skarsgård is not afraid to dive into the well of animalistic behavior. The poster child for pretty boys uglies himself in an emotional sense, allowing himself to be berated verbally and emotionally. Skarsgård can give you ripped manly man in The Northman (2022) and the neutered incompetent hubby needed in Infinity Pool. Through all the drug-filled dreams and criminal activities, James is dragged on a leash towards the cliff of his own demise by the star of the show, Gabi.
Hand up. I love Mia Goth. I fucking love her. Breaking into the mainstream with Ti West’s X (2022) and garnering tons of respect with Pearl (2022), Goth continues her deliciously venomous streak of evil as Gabi. I am perfectly willing to have Goth ruin my life.
What sticks with me about the character of Gabi and Goth as an actress are her eyes. She knows how to manipulate the camera and drag the audience’s attention with her wherever she wants it. She plays the scary seductress in a remarkably convincing way, and there is no comedic tinge to it whatsoever.
Despite the great performances from the two lead stars, Infinity Pool can’t climb out of its own way when it comes to actual storytelling. Infinity Pool is the type of movie that I have loved thinking about and reading about more than actually watching it. I don’t have a desire to watch the movie ever again, and I honestly can’t recommend it to the masses. You have to have a very distinct brain to take in all of Infinity Pool and be amped about the experience. My tastes don’t align with the way Brandon Cronenberg tells the story, even if I love the overarching premise of it.
Perhaps it isn’t fair, but Brandon still has a bit of work to do to reach the same levels of his father. Infinity Pool isn’t a poor movie, but it is not nearly as concise as his father’s Crimes Of The Future (2022). Both movies have overarching ideas, but David Cronenberg’s has a story arc that allows for the audience to track its flow while also appreciating its thematic approach. It is tough to blend a philosophical concept with entertainment value. There are reasons professionals do this shit.
It should also go without saying that Infinity Pool is not a movie to watch with close family, unless you are really, really close. The early edits of the film had an NC-17 rating, and appeals to the rating board didn’t even work to get it lowered. Edits needed to happen to get it down to an acceptable R, but it was the original NC-17 version that aired at the Sundance Film Festival. With everything show in the Hulu streamable version., it is hard to imagine what else could make this movie unacceptable for the public masses.
Infinity Pool is thought-provoking but flawed viewing experience. If you know Cronenberg and know what this family is all about, then feel free to dive in. If you are squeamish, then feel free to watch some YouTube recaps and read all the think pieces. It’s all in your hands.
STANKO RATING: C-
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I’m terribly sorry, but Denise Richards drains the swamp with her role in The World Is Not Enough.
Ranking James Bond Films: #21 – “Quantum Of Solace” (2008)
Quantum Of Solace is beyond a stepdown from Craig’s debut film, Casino Royale.
STANKO UPDATE: THE WEDDING FAST APPROACHES…(INSERT DRAMATIC MUSIC)
Perhaps that’s too much information? Ah, who cares. This is what it is.
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